Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced March 11, 2008, that a Li-ion rechargeable battery in iPod nano (model name: MA099J/A) caught fire. This model is manufactured by Apple Inc and sold in Japan by Apple Japan Inc.
According to METI, the accident occurred Jan 8, 2008, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The battery unit reportedly sparked while it was being charged at home. No injuries were reported.
The same model of iPod nano as the one that caught fire was sold from September 2005 to September 2006. Shipments reached 425,000 units in Japan alone.
The player is shipped in large quantities in Japan, and products under the same model name and similar players are sold in large numbers throughout the world. Therefore, METI requested that Apple Japan initiate an investigation into accidents caused by such products not only in Japan but also outside the country. METI also requested that it identify the cause of the problem.
Based on the provisions under Paragraph 1 of Article 35 of the Consumer Products Safety Law, METI announced the latest accident as one of the "accidents likely caused by products" in the list of serious accidents reported from manufacturers, etc.
Apple Japan reported the accident March 7, 2008. This is about 2 months after the day the accident occurred.
"METI issued a strict warning to Apple Japan because the company did not fully understand the responsibility to report accidents specified by the Consumer Products Safety Law," said a METI official in charge.
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